Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

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Daniel Westlake

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Daniel Westlake has written under pen names for a myriad of publications all over the nation, ranging from national magazines to local papers. He now lives in Los Angeles, Calif. but regularly travels around the country and abroad, exploring and experiencing everything he can.

Garages don't have to follow all the rules of a home that you're supposed to live in. Garages can be cold and slightly dirty, can have stuff on the floor and tacky things on the wall, can be work spaces and places to relax. Oh, and they can also be places to stores your car and the stuff you rarely use but might need someday--but really, what fun is that?

Watch the film "American Beauty" for reference (but not the end). A garage is the ideal spot for a man cave. Clear out a corner and lay down a cheap, probably awesomely hideous rug. Perhaps add a weight bench and a couple of ratty couches and chairs you have kept since your first college apartment. Add an old TV (that gets satellite, of course) and a hand-me-down sound system and you're set. A fooseball table, ping pong table or even a pool table might be in the cards here. Think about installing a fridge too, just to completely separate yourself from the nosy comforts of the neighboring house you live in. The perfect home away from home for any guy.

As garages equate to slightly grimy messy spaces and art studios to beautiful messy spaces, the two match together well. Tarps can be laid on the floor to lay canvases on top of, so that you can paint Pollack-style. Easels can be set up against the walls and paintings can be strewn about and stored easily. A utility sink, which is rather easy to install, if there's no plumbing already, should probably be added to wash all the paintbrushes and other tools regularly. Yet this addition to the garage could become the perfect space to concentrate and create.

Remember when you were going to be in a rock band and tour the country and be on the covers of magazines? And while you know it's probably never going to happen, a good jam session with some of your old buddies is as fun as anything and great way to release stress or tension or just relax for a few hours. So in that garage addition, make space for a drum set and some amps. Staple-gun foam, cardboard and egg cartons to the walls, and throw down some old or cheap carpets to insulate the sound and not rock the neighbors.

The garage is the ideal place to start when you consider additions to your home. The space is already there and that...

Garage additions turn a boring, cramped garage into a spacious storage area with increased functionality. ... Garage Designs; How to Design Garage...

How Do I Build a Garage Addition?. ... Garage addition; Resources. Garage building plans; Get Free Quotes from Local Pros. Build Garage;...

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Parking your car on the street or your drive may seem like an easy, inexpensive option until youre de-icing at 5am or looking at a bill for damage to your car At Ottawa General Contractors weve found that garage additions get a bad rap theyre not as elegant as a kitchen remodel or as luxurious as a new bathroom. And yet building a garage can make a real difference to your family particularly when it snows.

The construction of a garage will keep your car safe, warm and dry particularly during the winter months. Rather than getting up every morning to de-ice your windshield and brush the snow off your roof, you can wake up to a car which is already warm and clear and hasnt been scratched or damaged by careless drivers overnight.

In bad weather being able to pull straight into the garage without even getting out to open the door makes a big difference. Its particularly helpful for families with small children or those worried about a trip or fall on icy paths. Imagine being able to bring in the groceries while the kids finish napping without worrying about frostbite.

Garages arent just for cars theyre also incredibly useful spaces, both for storage and hobbies. When youre thinking about your garage addition, include space for long-term storage such as Christmas decorations, bikes or boats.Many hobbies come with large or bulky items which need storage or just need a safe, dry space to work in every now and then. From skiing to sewing, fishing to flower arranging, keeping the things you cherish safe shouldnt be hard and getting larger items out of the house can make your home feel much more spacious.

Learn more about our home addition construction service. Learn more about our easy 3 step process.

The cost of building a garage depends on several factors size, existing structures, foundations and finishing. At Ottawa General Contractors weve built dozens of garages for homes around Ontario so we can give you a clear, accurate quote as soon as you tell us what you need. Our personal project plans include timelines as well as a detailed breakdown of the cost to build a garage so you wont have any surprises along the way. Our focus is on affordable, reliable home additions projects talk to one of our staff now and well send you a free quote for your new garage.

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Garage Addition - Ottawa General Contractors

If you want to get the most investment value from a garage addition, build in quality details, but dont go overboard on creating a showcase car barn. The Cost vs. Value Report from Remodeling magazine has found that home owners who sell stand to recover a higher percentage of their costs if they build a relatively basic garage, rather than one tricked out with finished walls, a decorative floor coating, and designer storage solutions.

The national average cost to build a midrange, 26-by-26-foot freestanding garage addition is $48,806, of which you can expect to recoup about 64% at resale. With upscale finishes, the cost jumps to $80,511 and the payback drops to 54.7%. But with a little planning, you can maximize the use and benefit youll get from a basic garage addition without adding too much to the price tag. Here are the top features to incorporate.

Layout and design

Roof: Most garage roofs are held up by standard trusses. Theyre economical about $88 each in a length that spans a two-car garage but their design blocks the storage space youd otherwise have in the attic. For just $25 more per truss, a total upgrade of about $350, you can switch to storage trusses, which are open in the middle. Or, for an upgrade of about $1,000, you can get attic trusses, which allow for a boxed-in upstairs thats easy to outfit with shelves or even use as a bonus room.

Doors: Some garage plans provide for only the main car door and, in attached garages, a door into the house. Youll be happier if you put in a standard door to your yard as well, so you can retrieve a rake without opening the overhead door. A basic pre-hung steel door costs around $140; add $40 for one with a window.

Windows: Try to include windows, which make the exterior more appealing and bring in natural light. Thats something youll appreciate, especially if youre planning to use part of the garage as a workshop. Generously sized vinyl windows with insulated glass start at around $120.

Floor space: If you have room, build the garage wide enough to allow 4 or 5 feet of space between the car and the walls, which gives you clearance to open the doors plus plenty of easily accessed storage. Adding 2 feet to the width significantly increases usable space but may not add dramatically to the cost.

Storage solutions

The main feature that turns a midrange garage into a upscale version is the addition of a modular storage system, with upper and lower cabinets and a work surface. According to the Cost vs. Value Report, while such systems add substantially to the bottom line, they dont necessarily boost return.

If you want to keep costs more in line with value, you can achieve the practical advantages of the upscale garage at a lower cost by providing simple storage solutions, such as shelves that rest on brackets screwed to studs. Or, if you build your garage with walls 12 or 13 feet high, you can use a few two-by-fours and sheets of 3/4-inch plywood to build a platform about 6 feet high over part of your parking area to store sports gear, holiday decorations, and other bulky things.

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Prices Broken Down Into Detail

Why does a product that retails for $ 3.89 a square foot actually cost $10.00 once it's over and done with? We've broken down prices to nearly every single tidbit including the walking the family dog.

Buying A New Floor. What? Where To Start?

Always a struggle. What type of floor to choose and why? Engineered, solid? Can it be installed on my concrete floor? In this section we go the entire nine yards including what many salespeople will not tell you unless you ask.

What's The Cost To Hire a Professional?

Everybody wants to know what it costs to hire a professional. We've provided a handy list that details nearly every type of task a hardwood professional handles. Keep in mind, these numbers are general guesstimates and will vary substantially.

Advice. Everyone Says Something Different.

Everyone says something different including the plumber. Who to believe? Some advice will create problems instead of helping. Big box store advice to internet retailers, and hometown professionals.

Hardwood Floors Sell Homes. How Much Do I Need To Spend?

The addition of wood floors in your home has proven to increase a home's value and help sell a home faster. That's the easy part. However, most people don't know which direction to take. Do I need to spend a fortune or can I get away with a budget floor? See examples and reasons why.

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Hardwood Flooring Guide - Installation, Refinishing. Reviews ...

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You may be wondering how we can guarantee such great service. We can guarantee this to you not only because our contractors are pre-screened, but also because if any of our contractors receive even one legitimate bad feedback then they are removed from our site. We believe that you deserve to get the best quality service available and so that is exactly what what we will provide you with. To start your search for great Networx flooring contractors, just enter your zip code in the search box above.

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An attic bedroom can become the extra room under your roof that hosts teenagers, guests, or even the masters of the house. An attic bedroom remodel is a good way to add space without adding on, which would be a much bigger investment of time and money.

Attic bedroom investment

Attics are penny-wise candidates for remodeling projects because the basic structurea roof and flooralready exist. Although the pitch of the roof usually dictates sloping interior walls and restricted headroom, people often find these quirky characteristics charming and desirable.

According to Remodeling magazines annual Cost vs. Value Report, a midrange attic bedroom remodel costs $47,919 and returns more than 72.9% of the investment, based on national averages.

Attic bedroom requirements

An attic bedroom has special requirements:

The cost of these projects, plus standard costs for installing heating and cooling systems, finishing surfaces, and adding a bathroom, is about $192/sq. ft.

The return on your investment in an attic remodel varies by region. In the Pacific area of the country, including Oregon and Hawaii, the return on investment is almost 89%. In the west-north-central states, such as Iowa and Kansas, the return on an attic remodel is about 62%.

National average cost, 15x15 ft. attic remodel, with 5x7 ft. bath:

Job Cost: $47,919 Resale Value: $34,916 Cost recoup: 72.9%

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Attic Bedroom Remodel Value | Attic Bedroom Remodel ROI ...

An unfinished attic with plenty of headroom is an irresistable remodeling project for an enthusiastic remodeler or DIYer. It's an unclaimed space, full of architectural potential. But remodeling an attic can be tricky because its floor joists may not be up to modern rigidity standards, those appealing rafter ceilings may have low-slung collar ties that block all that apparent headroom, and the roof rafters may not have sufficient depth to accommodate the necessary insulation.

Stiffening Spongy Floors Existing attic floor joists may not be stiff enough to meet current codes for a bedroom. If you have enough headroom to double-up attic floor joists with 2x10s or 2x12s, youre lucky most of the time, old attics have 2x6 or 2x8 floor joists at best, and the joists typically have a notch cut out at the ends to accommodate the sloping rafter ceilings, which makes it impossible to insert deeper members. An obvious idea is to double up the existing joists by sistering (or scabbing) another 2x6 or 2x8 alongside the existing joists, but that wont solve the problem. Floor stiffness is a matter of joist depth, not width a double 2x8 sandwich will not resemble the stiffness of a single 2x10.

The solution to stiffening up a floor requires a combination of adding midbay joists, laminating the subfloor and possibly adding girders. Although sistering joists wont add much stiffness, reducing the joist spacing by adding new joists between the existing ones will. If you consult a joist/rafter span table (available at most lumberyards and in every building code book), you will find the maximum distance that your existing attic joists can span to meet current code as bedroom floors. (Note that bedroom floors have lower stiffness requirements than living room floors: 30 pounds per square foot (psf) for bedrooms vs. 40 psf for other living areas.) You may find that adding another joist between each pair will create enough stiffness to comply with codes: For example, 2x6s spaced 12 in. OC are equivalent to 2x8 joists spaced 16 in. OC. Even if the added joists alone are not sufficient, they may be part of a two- or three-pronged solution.

You can further stiffen the floor by adding a thick layer of subfloor, such as 3/4-in. tongue-and-groove plywood (which is lighter and stiffer than oriented-strand board) glued and screwed to the joists. I know one builder who laminates two layers of subfloor perpendicular to each other to strengthen attic floors without adding new joists. However, a structurally sound floor can still feel bouncy, and floor-joist codes are based on minimum prescribed stiffness, not just holding up the weight of people, furniture and walls.

The final weapon in the floor-stiffening arsenal is to add a beam, but not necessarily under the floor joists because that may interfere with the ceiling below. Instead, you can add a beam (or girder) on top of the joists (illustration below). This solution works best when it coincides with a wall location that can hide the beam otherwise youll trip over it. Heres how it works: Set an adequate-size beam probably a 4x10 near the midspan of the floor, where you may be building a wall anyway. Fasten the beam to the joists below using framing straps or oversize joist hangers. The beam will distribute the load across all of the joists to enhance stiffness without compromising headroom.

Sometimes youll have to transfer this load down to a bearing wall below or to the foundation by means of posts or vertical supports. An experienced carpenter with a code book in hand or a creative structural engineer can usually resolve even the surliest floor-reinforcement situations, so dont worry too much about the solution, just know that solutions exist.

Remedies for Headroom Headaches Collar ties keep the weight of the roof from spreading the exterior walls of your home. Floor joists running parallel to the roof rafters serve the same purpose, so you may be able to remove existing low-slung collar ties entirely. But you should consult with a building official or structural engineer to make sure this solution is adequate for handling snow loads, wind and other roof stressors. If youre going to install a flat portion at the apex of your attic ceiling (as seen in the photo), you can replace the existing collar ties with short ceiling joists attached to your existing rafters using plywood gussets firmly glued and screwed to both sides of the joists and rafters, essentially using your new attic ceiling as a replacement for the old collar ties you removed.

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Attic Remodeling: Floor and Ceiling Tips - Handyman Club

Quickly outgrowing your home and need more space for a bedroom or a home office? Often, your home may be hiding the perfect space to carve out new rooms. Take your attic, for example. Many homes have sufficient ceiling height, a proper stairway and conventional roof rafters. This means converting the attic into a livable room is not only a great way to expand space, but may be possible at a reasonable remodeling cost, depending on a the final design.

As a basic rule of thumb for attic remodeling, features that minimize remodeling costs include:

These three features will allow you to remodel your attic in a cost-effective way. Insulation, drywall, electrical outlets, lighting, carpet and paint, along with a simple heating and cooling system are all you need to make your attic livable. Space reconfiguration like an attic conversion can be extremely beneficial and more economical than building an addition!

No matter the type of attic conversion, it's a smart way to add usable space to your home. Here are some other important points to consider when thinking about converting that dingy attic space into a beautiful bedroom or functional home office.

A New Stairway in the Chippendale Style Adds Architectural Interest to this Attic Conversion

If your home does not have a proper stair to the attic, you'll need to install one. This is a complicated process both in terms of structural floor framing and the use of space. The most efficient way to install a staircase is to place the new stair over the top of the existing stair. If placing the stair over the top of the existing stair does not fit in your home, find a location that minimizes the amount of space it takes from existing rooms. A typical house requires about ten linear feet of space for a stair. Stair dimensions are critically important so be sure to have your architect figure out the floor-to-floor dimensions along with proper risers and treads so it's safe and meets code. Avoid pie shaped treads (winders) whenever possible because they may not meet local building codes.

As for ceiling height, make sure yours meets the legal minimum; this prevents problems with current building codes and bumping your head! Also install proper handrails at the new stair and at the new stairwell opening your design-build team should specify guard rails as per code. You want your new living space to be not only aesthetically pleasing but safe and fully functional as well.

Shed dormers are a great way to increase the usable floor area of an existing attic and potentially add ceiling height. Shed dormers are typically built at the rear side of a home with a gable or hip roof so as not to harm the curb appeal of the home's faade. Shed dormers can be any width but are typically constructed the full length of the house from side to side to maximize usable space. Occasionally a small shed dormer (6 feet wide or so) will be built to accommodate head room at the top of a stair or an attic bathroom. Shed dormers are typically sloped down toward the back wall of the house, but the shed roof could be pitched up toward the window wall to achieve greater head room within the dormer.

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Attic Remodeling & Conversion | Maryland (MD), Washington, DC ...

The Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture (Grafton Architects)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 Wood Auditorium Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Grafton Architects Response by Kenneth Frampton, Columbia University GSAPP ...

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The Kenneth Frampton Endowed Lecture (Grafton Architects) - Video

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Simply Replace Yours With Ours

The first and easiest way is to simply replace your existing doors and drawer fronts without doing anything at all to the boxes. You don't even have to have an exact match. Take a close look at yours now. You'll see that you have areas that are both lighter and darker than each other. Our beautiful laminate wood grains compliment just about any oak cabinet and are much more durable than natural wood.

The Euro Look

The second way lets you invoke a warm, modern look by installing our very popular almond or white Euro style with continuous oak rail pulls and hidden hinges on your existing boxes.

The Country Look

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